The shape and size of the nucleus is an important prognostic marker for diseases. In particular, the shape and size of the nucleus in a cell can be used to identify a number of different types of cancers. However, the mechanisms by which the cancer nucleus becomes abnormal in shape are poorly understood. One potential mechanism is that altered number of chromosomes and/or chromosomal translocations contribute to abnormal cancer nuclear shapes.
Currently, methods that can be used to prepare chromosomal spreads rely on colliding a drop containing many cells (e.g., millions of mitotic cells (cells lacking a nucleus)) against a surface to spread out the DNA. The disadvantage of this method is that it is not possible to map a given chromosomal spread to an image of the nucleus that housed it, nor the cell. This makes it difficult to correlate chromosomal spreads and/or translocations with cell and nuclear phenotype.